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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29212626">The yellow cardigan</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ieatshit69/pseuds/ieatshit69'>ieatshit69</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>#mystery #murder #psychological, Other</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 06:29:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,782</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29212626</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ieatshit69/pseuds/ieatshit69</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Emma Gardner has a grandma that is a little off, she always is going on about a monster that wears a yellow cardigan. When Emma finds out that her grandmother commits suicide she is shocked. She finds out that her grandma was wearing a yellow cardigan when she died. She knows her grandma would never even look at a yellow cardigan so why would she be wearing one? The police won’t help her so she decides to take matters into her own hands. With the help of her neighborhood she goes to find the true reason why her grandma is dead.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The yellow cardigan</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I wake up with a sharp pain in my head. There's a loud ringing in my ears and my vision is blurred, “what happened?” I mumble to myself. There is a strong stench of a weird chemical that I can't quite pinpoint. Did I go out yesterday? With who? Immediately all of my questions were answered when I saw my friend lying next to my bed on the floor sprawled out like a hungover starfish. I smile at the sight. She had puke in her hair and reeked of alcohol. “Ah, so it was a party,” I thought to myself. I must have gotten really drunk considering that i can't remember a single thing about last night's events. I decided to let her stay like that a little longer, I stepped into the kitchen and started looking through the medicine cabinet, I found what I was looking for. “Ah ibuprofen!” i say to myself as i reach for it. I hear my phone ringing and it sounds so loud and sharp that it causes my headache to grow worse. I put the phone to my ear and I already regret it. “Hey Sweetheart! Happy late Birthday!” I groan as i hear her talk, “Hey mom and yes thank you, but please can you not talk so loud?” So I guess that's what the party was for, how did I forget my own birthday? “Oh dear I didn't even realize I was shouting, sorry! But hey can you do me a favor and go visit your grandma? She's been really lonely lately and I'm sure she would love to see your face.” my mother says so cheerly. “Ok mom bye now,i love you.” i respond “Ok bye i love you too! Say hi to grandma for me!” “Ok mom” I say as I end the call. Now I love my grandma to death but she's always been off. Anytime I go to visit her she tells me that I need to beware of the monster. The monster that wears the yellow cardigan. The scariest part is that everytime she warns me there is no hint of uncertainty on her face and it always looks like she truly believes there is a monster in a yellow cardigan. As I head out into the kitchen I catch a glimpse of yellow in the mirror. I take a step back to see if my eyes are deceiving me or not, all I see in the reflection of the mirror is myself looking terrible, I see a bandaid across my face. God I wonder what my drunk self did to make that huge mark, I wince at the pain as I peel back the bandaid. Before I can examine myself further I get another phone call. Is it mom again? I look at my phone to see a random number that I didn't recognize. “Hello? Who is this?” “Is this Emma?” a deep and monotone voice speaks. It sounded serious and deprived of emotion. “Yes.” I responded hesitantly. “This is Mark, I am a police officer and I'm so sorry to inform you that your grandmother Louise passed away this morning.” he sighs before he continues again. “She committed sucide.” This time his voice sounds sad. Sucide? Why? I don't understand? I recollect myself before i speak “Are you sure it was sucide?” I ask with a shaky voice. “ Yes there is not enough evidence to prove otherwise.” without thinking i open my mouth “Well look deeper, sure my grandma was crazy but sucide that's impossible, she was a stubborn bitch there was no way she would'' there it was, it slipped out without me wanting it to. No matter how hard I tried to conceal my true emotion it still got out. I take a deep breath before I speak again. “Sorry this whole thing is messing with my head, it just seems so out of character.” “It's ok, this is a perfectly normal response, when you have the time to come to the police station we have a few of her belongings that we have to give you. We no longer need it” “Ok I'll be there soon” . Before he can respond I end the call and feel my throat closing as hot tears trickle down my face. Everything about this feels off. She viewed sucide as an act of selfishness and said people who did it were weak. She was deranged sure but she wouldn't do this. I need to call mom, she must have found out. She's probably devastated. I mean it is her mother after all. I pick up the phone and dial her number but no response. I dial again but nope straight to voicemail again. Dammit why isn't she answering? I throw my phone against the wall outta frustration. So many emotions whirling around inside of me like a snow storm. She's probably just so upset she can't even talk to me right? I'll go visit her later, but she lives pretty far away so i'll have to wait. Everythings going to be ok. With all of this commotion going on I completely forget about my passed out friend. She wears a tired but worried expression. “Is everything ok?” she asks in a raspy voice. Sounds like I woke her up. “Yep everything is fine i just have some stuff to work out, i'm heading out ok? the ibuprofen is in the cabinet on your top right, and i won't be back for a while so i think it's best that you head out ok?” she looks hesitant to believe me “Ok, but are you sure you're ok? I heard a loud noise.” I smile softly at her, that I'm sure looks like a cry for help to her. “Yep, bye now.” As soon as I stepped into the car I let out a silent sob. This isn't going to be good for mom. She's going to have an episode like last time. I can't let that happen. I have to assure her everythings going to be fine. First i have to get the bottom of this so i can tell her the real story, because i know Grandma did not commit sucide. When I arrive at the police station, I go to a name tag that shows the name mark, that must be the guy i was talking to on the phone. “Hi, were you the man i was talking with on the phone earlier?” He looks up at me pausing his work on his computer. He had blue eyes and dark red hair with a scruffy beard, he looked much different than what I imagined he would look like. “Yes I am please have a seat Emma and wait here.” I nod at him and sit down in the chair in front of his desk. He comes out of a room with a plastic bag. He sat down in his chair and handed it to me. When I see what's in it, my heart drops into my stomach. “Is something wrong, miss?” he asks, i look up at him, i guess he could tell i was shocked. It probably was written all over my face. “This cannot be sucide, I'm sorry but my grandmother would never wear a yellow cardigan, she never even owned one. She had to be murdered, there is no other explanation.” desperation is written all over my face. I can tell he thinks i'm crazy, or that i'm not thinking clearly, that this is just denial but its not im thinking as clear as day, i know my grandmother better than anyone else, i know my mother would think this is murder too. That's it I'll just call my mother again, hopefully she will answer this time.”look ill call someone and she will say the same as me!” I call her number again but then again straight to voicemail. Why won't she answer? He finally speaks again breaking the silence in a deep and quiet voice “Look I understand how you are feeling but your grandmother committed sucide, she slit her wrists, she was found in the bathtub. Please calm down.” “I am calm! She would never own a yellow cardigan; she hated them, She wouldn't even look at them!” At this point I was standing screaming in his face. It's the truth though, she wouldn't have, they reminded her of the monster she would always warn me about, I know this. She used to freak out at the sight of them. I feel like I'm shouting at a wall, none of my words are changing his mind, they aren't doing anything. I feel like my body and mind is about to explode. Now all I feel is anger and confusion and so many conflicting emotions. Before he can finish his thought I storm out taking the plastic bag. He calls after me but I ignore him as I head back into my car. I try to let out a sob but at this point i can't let anything out. I drive back home feeling tired. I fall into my bed, but I don't sleep. Instead I think about everything and try to figure out who or what killed my grandma.So many questions fill my head as I lay awake looking at my ceiling. Before I know it's already morning. Morning already? I can't tell if i slept or not, that doesn't matter right now. I know if i figure all of this out my mom will feel more relaxed i mean i bet she doesn't think she committed sucide, i just hope she calls me back. I should give her time to grieve, right now I should find out who murdered my grandma. I decided to get my neighborhood together. I bet with more people I will find out the truth easier. I hold a meeting and gather everyone together, I explain everything to everyone, most are confused and are giving me the same look the police officer gave me. That same expression. I hate it. I'm not insane nor crazy. I'm pretty sure I'm the only one thinking straight, it's because of my deranged grandma that I sound like a lunatic.”please i need help, please help me i mean you all know how crazy she was.” i most likely look like a sad puppy begging like this, but i am desperate. They exchange looks to each other, then Edna speaks out. “Ok we will help you out but we won't do anything illegal.” my face lights up, i know that they are probably doing this out of pity but i still like the feeling. Edna was always my favorite, she baked cookies and was always so nice to me. She always smells like baby wipes which is a little strange but at the same time comforting. We all headed to my grandma's house which wasn't that far away, it was only a 2 minute walk. I arrived at the familiar house that I had been going to since childhood. Ever since I turned 18 she has been in my care instead of my mothers because my mother felt I was better for the role as caretaker. Mom always thought of me highly. Because of that I go here pretty frequently. It was a nice small house but was pretty old so the blue paint on the outside was chipped. I approach the wooden door, I freeze for a moment remembering the circumstance, I swallow hard. I open the door and head inside the very cold house. It felt so empty since she wasn't there. “Are you ok emma?” I turned around to see an old lady I didn't recognize. Who was this again? She must be new to the neighborhood because I don't recognize her face. “Yeah i'm ok don't worry about me.” I say with a smile. That is weird. She seems like she knows me but I don't know her at all. She nods at me and says “Ok whenever you're ready, i know this is hard.” She says while touching my shoulder. She is quite the strange old lady but I don't want to be rude and ask her such a rude question like “who are you again?” so I decided to focus on the task in front of me. I begin to search the whole house for clues or anything at all, was there a sucide note? I didn't even ask, I probably should have. “Emma, I found something you might want to look at.” It was the strange old lady I didn't recognize. I headed over to her to see what she found, and there it was a broken bottle that was bloodied and harsh chemicals hidden in the fireplace. The strange old lady then proceeded to lift up one of my grandma's old rugs and there it was a washed out blood stain. I take a big step back, startled at what this strange old lady found. How did she know where to look? Could this strange old lady have something to do with this? I shake my head, no way she couldn't have right? I get my phone out and decide to call the police to tell them what I found. When the police arrived everyone who helped had gone home. Including that strange old lady that smelled like baby wipes. In my head i already know, no matter how much i try to deny it, i just can't. It has to be that strange old lady she found it right away and how did she know me? I can't stop thinking about what she said to me before she left. “I'm sorry about your grandma, just know i'm here to talk, i mean she was my dearest friend.” when she said that i couldn't help but realize that i knew everyone of my grandmas friends, but i don't ever remember this strange old lady. Granted my grandma only had one friend, I mean she was deranged, i doubt she would have many friends. I was always constantly looking after her, I think i would've remembered this strange old lady. “Do you have any idea who could've done this? Do you think your grandma knew anyone that had it out for her? Any old friends or exes?” My thoughts are interrupted as I look back up at Mark. Maybe they had a fall out? That must be it they probably were friends back then and something happened leading her to murder her, mabye she hated my grandmother. It all sounds too weird to me i mean why did she tell me where it was? Did she not want to be suspected? Maybe making it seem like she was helping me catch the murderer, would make her the last suspect? How did she know she hated yellow cardigans? So many unanswered questions, but i mean who else could it be? “I did notice that there was this old lady that was acting strange. She acted like she knew me and my grandma. She even referred to my grandma as her dearest friend, but I had no idea who she was. I think she must have done it. She also knew exactly where to look.” “Ok, did she tell you her name?” What was it again? Did she even tell me? Why can't I remember? “No she didn't but i'm pretty sure she lives in my neighborhood.” I responded, I should have asked her before she left. “Can you please describe how she looks to the sketch artist over there.” he points to a man holding a sketch pad. I began to describe her appearance , I even mentioned the fact that she smells like baby wipes. “Ok we will bring her into questioning.” he gives a signal to the other police officers and they all head outside. I walk back home, I should probably go visit mom since i found out who the killer is. I will do it tomorrow morning. I lay in my bed and this time I went to sleep knowing the person who killed my grandma is in prison. I finally slept peacefully knowing that. “Emma dear, don't you feel guilty?” I turn around to look at my grandma. What is she talking about now? “What are you going on about now Grandma? Why would I feel guilty?” “Well about the incident?” I stare frozen looking at her. “Incident?” I ask, my hands feel sweaty, my mind is going blank. “Well it's your fault she's dead right?” as she says this it seems like she's staring at a monster, but i'm no monster? I hesitate before I continue “Who is she?” “Well your mother of course.” Grandma is staring at me with a glare, her eyes are so empty but yet is filled with such loathing. Mom, but she's still alive isn't she? I was talking with her on the phone just yesterday. She told me she loved me. Grandma is wrong its her demented mind that has her acting up like this. Before I can tell her the truth she starts talking. “My poor poor anna, why did she give birth to a demon? A demon that would be the reason for her death.” She then starts screaming “You! It's your fault I hate you! I want you dead! I want you gone! Get out of my house, you demon!” as she is screaming she picks up a bottle and breaks it. She charges at me and makes a mark right across my face. Blood is dripping down my face. Stop, stop,stop,stop. Please stop. I wake up with a cold sweat, my throat hurts so much. I now realize I am screaming at the top of my lungs. I can't stop, but that was just a messed up dream right? It felt so real. Almost like a memory. I need to call mom again. I reach for my phone that's resting on my nightstand. I dial her number, the dialing sound echoes throughout my head. “Sorry i can't come to the phone right now please leave a message!” This the 3rd time, why isn't she answering? I grab my keys and run out the door. I drive 2 hours straight until I reach her house. I'm finally here, at my childhood home. So many memories. I approach the wooden door and knock 3 times. I look around and see cars I don't recognize, did she get new cars? The door opens and I see a woman standing there. She's tall and has dirty blonde hair. She's not mom. Is she a friend? “Can i help you?” she asks while leaning against the door frame. Without thinking I pushed her away and headed into the house. This is not how I remember it. Who are these people? Why are they in my house? This is wrong all wrong. Where is mom? “Excuse me! Why are you in here? Please leave immediately!” She is yelling at me and is clearly upset, but this is my mom's house. I should be yelling at her to leave. “No you leave.” i say while staring at the floor. “Why are you telling me to leave MY house?” She reaches for her phone and I assume to call the police. I then hear a loud bang, like a gunshot. She gasps as she falls to the floor and her blood forms a puddle around her. A man appears out of a hallway worried, he's tall and has a strong build but has dark brown hair. “Hey what is- Oh my god Callie what are you-?” BANG, i hear another gunshot. Now both are on the floor, there is so much blood everywhere. I have to clean it up, mom would not want to come back to this mess. She will be happy I got rid of the intruders for her. Now where are the cleaning supplies? I pour bleach on the floor and soon start scrubbing the floor, the scent is intoxicating. I must clean this mess up before mom comes home. I start scrubbing and scrubbing until my hands go numb. Soon there's no more blood, but it is stained. I don't think mom would mind. I should probably take a shower, I'm a mess. I’ll stay here until mom comes back home. Hours go by and mom is still not here yet, i'll just spend the night. I go into my old room, it looks different than I remember, it's painted blue instead of yellow and everything is rearranged. I lay onto my old bed, the nostalgia is hitting me. Just like how it was when I was younger. I fall into a deep sleep, this time no nightmares. I feel so relaxed. When I wake up I hear banging at the door. It's probably mom right? I get out of bed and head to the door happily, but instead of mom there's multiple policemen at the door. What are they doing here? Before I know it I'm surrounded by guns pointing at me, a policeman speaks into a small radio “Yep shes here.” I stand there confused. What is happening? They rush to the intruders that are on the floor. Are they here to get the intruders? “Yep there dead.” the policeman looks displeased, but why? I did them a favor. “Emma Gardner you are under arrest for the murder of Louise Gardner, Callie Roosenberg and David Roosenberg..” “What?” is all i managed to get out. What are they talking about? I didnt murder them? They were intruders and my Grandma, i would never murder her? Did that old lady frame me? Everything was just fine. Before I knew it I felt a sharp pain in my leg. I look down to see blood spewing out my leg. They shot me, but why? I didn't notice that I grabbed a knife, I guess I did it out of instinct. Before i know it i fall unconscious as i hear yelling in the background it's all starting to go blurry. I think I'm going to rest now. Mom will come tomorrow . I wake up handcuffed to a hospital bed. The bright light is blinding, and I have a massive headache. What happened? I can't seem to remember anything. Like a slap to the face It all comes back to me. That's right, they think I murdered my grandma, but why on earth would they think that? Must have been that wretched old lady, she must have framed me. I try getting up forgetting that I'm handcuffed to a bed. “Careful now i don't want you to hurt yourself.” I look to see who it is and its Mark. “Now tell us why you murdered them.” I grit my teeth at his question, “ I didn't murder anyone! They were intruders and as with my grandma I didn't do anything, it was the old hag not me! ” I yell at him while trying to get out of the bed. Mom, she must be so worried I have to go to her now. “We are transferring you to the federal prison tomorrow.” He looks disappointed and angry, he gets up and exits the room. “But i already told you i'm innocent!” it's no use he's already gone. None of this makes sense. Why on earth do they think I murdered my grandma? They were intruders, i don't understand why wont they believe me? I need my mom, where is she? Tears form in my eyes, stinging them. Why me? Why? Why? Why? Why? The next couple of days feel so dreadful, I feel numb. I feel nothing. I don't feel it when they poke me with needles, when they hit me for not walking fast enough, and I don't feel it when they restrain me forcefully. What is this terrible feeling? My trial happens in 2 days. Hopefully they will believe me. I wish i knew where mom is so that this feeling can go away. It's been a couple of weeks since the incident and I'm sitting here in a jail cell lying on this rock hard bed. Mom hasn't come to visit yet and I feel such loneliness. In my trial they didn't believe a word I said. “We found bloodied clothes in your closet, we tested the blood and it matched yours and your grandmas.” the jury’s voice sounded so monotone, not a hint of emotion. “When we brought in Edna Morrison into questioning she told us that you knew exactly who she was, she had only met you and your grandmother 5 years ago, which was when you moved into the neighborhood, so you must have known who she was considering she was your neighbor right?” The lawyer that was testifying against me looked clean and spoke with such confidence. I say nothing because I know they won't believe a thing I say. “Right?” he almost breaks his facade and looks a little frustrated. He looks at the jury and fixes his tie “No further questions ma’am.” He sits back down. The trial goes on for a little while longer, they ask questions and I still remain silent. “What do you plead as Emma Gardner?” I look up at the jury and clear my throat “Not guilty.” after i say that i hear slight whispering, but i am not guilty. I'm only speaking the truth. They announce me guilty as expected. Now I am here in this dreadful place. There is something that keeps lingering in my mind. “They were not intruders; they had been living there for 10 years.” or when i asked them about mom “Your mom has been dead for 11 years. She's not coming to visit you.” She can't be dead. She's just having an episode like that one time where she went away for a little bit. Yes, I remember now it was after the car accident, it was really hard on her so she went away for a little bit and left grandma in my care, but she came back. She's going to come back this time, I know it. “Get up, it's time for your nightly cell check.” The prison guard is banging the metal bars with his bat. It's hurting my ears. I get up and stand next to my cellmate Roxy. Roxy has always had it out for me as soon as I got here. I have no idea why. She's big and is covered head to toe with tattoos. This time there's something different about her. She looks nervous and jumpy. I ignore it and head back into my cell when they are done. I sit down at my bed, but roxy again is looking nervous. What is up with her? “Uh Roxy why are you?” Before I can finish my question she pulls out a makeshift knife and charges at me. There is a sharp and dulling pain in my gut. She pulls back as I fall to the ground. Yelling and cussing at me, I can't quite make out what she's saying. I'm so distracted by the pain that her yelling sounds like a bunch of random words jumbled together. I grab my stomach as I lay on the floor, I'm in a pool of my own blood. It feels warm, I soon start to hear others yelling. It's probably the guards. My mind is going blank and my vision is blurry. It hurts so much but after a little bit i don't feel pain anymore. I feel relaxed. Ah I finally remember now, I did kill grandma. She kept asking too many questions about mother, she became a nuisance to my perfect reality. I couldn't have that, I even put her into the thing she hated most. “Emma?” I'm now standing as I hear a familiar voice. I turn around to the direction of the voice and it's mom. I knew she would come, I knew she was still alive. “Mom, i knew you would come!” I ran to her and fell into her arms. It feels warm and light. “Of course Emma.” her words sound so soothing. “Please don't leave ever again I was so worried.” Tears sting my eyes, I'm so happy i could die “I won't, I'll always be here, I'll never leave again, I'm so sorry for troubling you. I love you sweetheart.” It feels so warm. I never want to leave, I don't want to ever leave. I clung onto her tighter, I knew she would come back. I'm so glad that i can't stop smiling. That terrible feeling is finally gone now. She smells exactly like how I remember, strawberries.</p>
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